Top five cheeses

[oregon_dem1]

I'm thinking about making a cheese tray for a get together. I need some ideas so what are your top five cheeses?

[miss_kitty]

1. Tillamook med cheddar

i also like brie, morbier (tres tres stinky-use gloves). smoked gouda and sage derby. oh and cambozola


I had a nutritionist tell me on friday i have to stop eating so much of it...she said i was self-medicating with cheese.

[Safi]

5. Tillamook Cheddar!

FAVORITE CHEESE EVER! 'Cept I prefer the sharp...

-Safi

[miss_kitty]

6. I went to the factory :) n/t

[oregon_dem1]

Did you like the factory?

It's not very far from me, and I've been wanting to go there for awhile.

[miss_kitty]

12. yeah it was fun

they show you how cheese is made. and you can vist the vortex, too

[mrbassman03]

26. Me too!

The cheese factory rules! and the ice cream rocks!

[Lucky Luciano]

Everyone thinks I am aweirdo

because I absolutely LOATHE cheese - hatred is nowhere near a strong enough word - especially for the stronger smelling cheeses. In fact I get furious inside when a waiter brings me pasta with parmesan on it without asking first, but I bite my lip and don't show my anger - I just send it back.


Sorry - can't help!

[Awsi Dooger]

14. I guarantee I DESPISE cheese more than you do

The sight, smell, taste and even the knowledge it exists. The only conspiracy I believe in is the global cheese conspiracy, because so many more restaurant items are served with hideous cheese than 10 or 20 years ago. I won't order applesauce without asking if it has cheese. In restaurants I'll ask to be relocated if someone near me orders the smelly yellow crap, especially parmesan which I automatically move if there is a shaker on the table. I am currently boycotting Wendy's because the local franchise insists on putting cheese on my burgers no matter how much I implore them not to.

That's a gruesome but familiar tale, an ugly layer of parmesan on otherwise glorious pasta. I have leaped from the table several times when that has been presented, and put my hands over the pasta a couple of times when the waiter threatened to shake without asking.

And any waiter or waitress who mocks or tries to alter my distaste for cheese receives a deserved adjustment in tip.

Welcome to enlightened weirdness, Lucky Luciano. And there are several other cheese loathers on DU, based on previous threads. College Dude is one I remember specifically.

[yardwork]

35. Not a big fan of Italian mom and pops restaurants, I take it?

;-)

[MrScorpio]

2. Edam, Maaslander, Gouda, Pepperjack and Extra Sharp Cheddar

Cheese heaven

[The empressof all]

3. probably would not go together well on a tray but

My favorites are

Pecorino Tuscano (Tangy sheep's milk cheese from Tuscany)
Good Sharp Cheddar
St Andre's (soft triple cream)
Maytag Blue- (especially with Pears)
Jarlsberg

[Knurled99]

4. Hello..

Brie is great on crackers, especially if you warm it up in the microwave for about 15 seconds and cut off the top rind... Also try Port du Salut, a yellow cheese with an edible Orange rind. Tastes pretty mild but with a bit of a sour aftertaste.

[timtom]

29. Does anyone remember

the scene on Twin Peaks when David Patrick Kelly (I think that's his name -- you know, the psychotic gang leader from "The Warriors") who played the brother to Richard Beymer, came into his brother's house after a trip to Europe. He interrupted the family dinner by announcing that he had a brie sandwich. It was a humungous baguette with brie spread on it in sandwich form. I tried it. It was delicious!

[politicat]

7. Haystack mountain Herbes de Provence rolled goat cheese

lovely, lovely stuff... but if you can't get Haystack mountain, any good goat cheese rolled in fresh herbs works.... (http://www.haystack.bigstep.com/item.jhtml?UCIDs=1076646%7C1253693&PRID=1421114)

An Irish cheddar http://www.kerrygold.com/usa/op.html - The Dubliner is divine, but the Vintage Irish Cheddar is wonderfully complex....

Smoked Wisconsin Mozzarella and Wisconsin baby swiss.

A brie, a camembert or some other soft, baking cheese....


I get them all at Whole Foods or Wild Oats. Any good gourmet shop or upscale grocer should be able to get you these or unreasonable substitutes....

mmmm... time to make tomorrow's lunch...

Pcat

[realisticphish]

8. meunster (sp)

smoked cheddar
smoked swiss
(both of those mild, so as not to overpower flavor)

:hippie: The Incorrigible Democrat

[Gir Draxon]

9. My favorite

Havarti!

[oregon_dem1]

11. I'm new here too

but WELCOME!

[flordehinojos]

20. I am with you. I like Havarti too and SWISS cheese as well!

[Kellanved]

10. OK

Jurassic, Roquefort, Langres, Epoisses and Neufchatel.

Depending on avalability and the guests, I'd maybe replace the Jurassic with either Comte or a Swiss cheese. The very stinky and runny Epoisses isn't for everybody, a young Chevre(generic will do) might be a better idea. Also one can never go wrong with a really old Gouda.

[lazarus]

13. blue cheeses

A nice Roquefort or Gorgonzola, extra moldy.

Stilton's nice.

Brie with dried apricots is divine.

I also love a good Camembert,if you can find it. The runnier and stinkier the better.

And lately I've developed a taste for Limburger, of all things. Once you get past the smell, it's got a wonderful flavour.

The key to a good cheese tray is variety and taste. Try something unusual. And go from mild at one end to sharp at the other.

My view of eating like this is to expand my horizons. I love going to the cheese shop (fair distance away, sadly) and picking out 3 or 4 cheeses I've never even heard of.

[BlueHandDuo]

28. Still pining for Liederkranz...

...which you can't get anymore.

Soft, ripe, runny, crusty, similar to Limburger but not as stinky, similar to Camembert but more flavorful.

You would have loved it.

With fresh pears.

Oh, God! I'm aching with unrequited food lust!

[SheWhoMustBeObeyed]

15. Go here:

http://ilovecheese.com/

for suggestions on what wines and foods to pair with different cheeses.

Wubette listed a lot of my favorites. I also love Tillamook Cheddar, and Cabot too.

For a mix of tastes and textures, I would have Cabot aged Cheddar - sharp, tangy and crumbly; imported dill Havarti - very milky, smooth and mild; Maytag Blue - it's just the best blue, sharp and salty and creamy all at the same time (Point Reyes Blue from northern California is also wonderful); fresh creamy baby mozzarella served as bruschetta; a wedge of dry asiago or Monterey Jack aged like parmesan, deliciously flaky and sharp (Vella is my favorite); and Cypress Grove Humbolt Fog, a mold ripened goat cheese with a very earthy flavor. You could replace the Cheddar with English Stilton, the Harvarti with Double Gloucester, and the Humbolt Fog with a good Brie.

The Cheddar, blue, dry Jack and Humbolt Fog are best with assertive red wines, the Havarti and mozzarella are good with fruity whites, but you could get away with a couple of different reds and do just great. You could also try sweeter whites with the stronger cheeses for interesting contrast.

Serve with crackers, toasts, olives, chopped tomato and basil drizzled with olive oil for the bruschetta, apples, pears, and nuts. :D

[bobbieinok]

16. Hvarti, Gouda, Edam, baby Swiss (Emmenthaler),

[ze_dscherman]

17. Mmmhhh

Original Parmigiano
Spanish Mantego (Goat Cheese)
Fresh or Medium Corsican Brebis (Sheep Cheese, very smelly)
L'amour Rouge d'Antoine (Brie style organic cheese)
Organic Gouda with dried tomatoes, garlic and herbs

I recommend organic cheese from small producers. Much more for your taste buds and well worth the money.

[Magrittes Pipe]

18. Well, you need a variety of flavors, mild to strong.

Start with a good chevre, then on to something creamy and rich (but not too sharp) like a camembert. Next, you introduce a sharp yellow cheese, like an aged cheddar; follow that up with parmagiano-reggiano or manchego. Close the cheese course out with a blue -- stilton, Maytag, gorgonzola, or roquefort should do you well -- or, if you're really interested in something pungent, an aged Alsace meunster.

[redqueen]

30. What the hell are you doing on the phone all the time?

From your wine and cheese posts, it's obvious you should be catering hoity toity art house crap for people with more money than sense.

[Magrittes Pipe]

32. How do you know if I'm on the phone???

:|

And I am ALL about value, especially in the vino. Yes, I have a $300 (retail value) bottle of wine in the cellar -- but it was a gift, AND I got it for a steal. ;)

Of course, I COULD be a wine guy (as I am completely untrained, I would never dare call myself a sommelier) for people with more money than sense. But I try to use good sense. :)

[redqueen]

33. Cause you're bitching about it every other week...

Duh!

:P

[July]

19. A good sheep's milk cheese.

Spanish Manchego or Israeli Tavor.

[bmbmd]

21. Cheeses

of Nazareth.

[mrboba1]

22. Cheddarella!!

:crazy:

[oregon_dem1]

23. Thanks for all the great ideas.

Any other suggestions?

[bif]

24. St. Andre

It's a littlel like brie but creemier and with more flavor.

[Beaverhausen]

25. "Vincent" Gouda

Sampled this at the new Whole Foods near me. It is yummy!


http://www.advantagefoods.com/product_showcase_listing2.cfm?id=27

[mrbassman03]

27. An aged goat's milk with herbs, a soft stinky one, sharp cheddar...

a mild sheep's milk cheese, and a medium-light cow one.

[miss_kitty]

31. Haloumi

It's a cypriot sheep's milk cheese that you can fry. it does not melt. it is salty. i love to put fried haloumi on olive bread....mmmm yummy!

[cheezus]

34. ME!!!

I've never met a better Cheezus than me

[JVS]

36. Tilsiter, Allgaeuer, Brie, Mozerella, Gouda